Corn-planter



3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

P. s. LUTZ. Corn-Planter.

No. 225,528. ie 'tfed Mar. 16,1880.

WVEIL/LESEEE N-PEIEHS, PHOTO LITHOQRAPHER.'WASHINGTON. D C.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 P. S. LUTZ. Corn-Planter,

No. 225,528. Patented Mar; 16., I880.

VVILEIH E 5 SEE E4VE141E1Y= 025 a fwipflww/ warms. PHOTO-Ln HOGRAFMEH, WASHINGTONv l1v C UNITED STATES PATE T OFFICE.

PETER S. LUTZ, OF LEISTVILLE, OHIO.

CORN-PLANTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of .Letters Patent Nol 225,528, dated March 16, 1880.

Application filed January 8, 1880.

To all whom it may concern I Be it known that I, PETER S. LUTZ, of Leistville, in the county ofPickawayand State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Corn-Planters; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which I it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

Myinvention relates to an improvement in corn-planters; and it consists in the arrangement and combination of devices whereby the grains of corn are divided in the grain-tube as they fall to the ground, so that instead of falling in a pile they will fall in a square or triangle, according to the number of grains planted in a hill, each grain being from three to four inches from the others, as will be more fully described hereinafter.

Figures 1 and 2 are vertical sections of my invention, taken at right angles to each other. Fig. 3 isa plan view of the hopper. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are detail views.

a represents the hopper, and b the graintube, secured to its under side in the usual manner. The bottom 0 of this hopper has four slots, d, made through it, through which slots the grains of corn pass into the seed-slide c, which moves back and forth under the bottom. Across the center of these slots is secured a rod, f, and upon the rod in each slot are pivotedgithe two sheet-metal cut-offs g, which cut-offs are held pressed down upon the seed-slide by means of the springs h. In the seed-slide there are made two grain,-holes, i, for each slot, so that as the slide is moved back and forth each hole 2' receives its number of grains as soon as it is moved from under the cut-01f that covers it. As the slide moves under the cut-offs each hole 1' is alternately brought over one of the holes j in the perforated plate Z. In the under side of this slide 0, across its center, is secured a metallic plate, a, which acts as a cut-off for the plate Z. This plate a may be made of the shape here shown, or any other that may be preferred, and which has one hole made through it to receive the upperend of the lever 0, which operates the check-valves, and a secondhole for receiving a stud in the inner end of the rod 10, which moves the slides back and forth.

The plate I, in addition to the holes j through it, has a slot, 1', for the upper end of the lever 0 to pass through.

The grain-tube b is divided into four separate and distinct channels, 8, through which the grains fall to the ground, each channel corresponding to one of the slots in the bottom of the hopper.- Each one of these channels is wide 'and narrow at the top, and has a conductor placed in it, which guides the grain of corn over to its corn er of the tube 11, from which it is to fall.

The lever o'is pivoted near its lower end to one of the partitions which divides the tube 1) into channels, and this lower end is forked so as to catch over a pin which projects out from one side of the connecting rod or plate t, which unites and operates the shafts o, to which the valves a are attached. Of these shafts there are three, two of which extend through into two of the smaller tubes'w, and operate two valves each, while the third shaft extends into a fifth tube, w, and operates a single valve. While four grains are being planted in a hill the four corner tubes 10 are used, and the fifth one, :10, is not brought into play; but when three grains are planted two of the corner tubes are used in connection with the fifth one, 00. When all four of the corner tubes are used the grains are dropped in a square; but when two of the corner tubes are used in connection with the fifth one, .70, the grains are planted in a triangle.

In the channel at one end of the tube 1) are two conductors instead of one. The one, 3 which is rigidly fastened in place ateach of its ends, conducts the grains to the center tube, to, while the other conductor, 2, which is pivoted in the bottom of the channel, on the other when it is moved over against the rigid conductor, or assists in conducting them to the IOO gle, as he sees fit, in each hill. When he wishes to drop but three grains to a hill, he first shuts off the grain from one of the slots in the bottom of the hopper by means of the two pivoted slides l, which can be made to cover the slot from each end toward the center, or can be swung back out of the way, as when four grains to the hill are being planted.

When one slot is covered over, of course no grains pass down through the feed-slide tothe corresponding channel, and it is while this slot is thus closed to the passage of grain that the hinged conductor is moved over against the opposite end of the channel from the rigid one, so as tocause the grain to pass into the fifth tube, .76.

When the slide 0 is made to move back and forth under the bottom of the hopper, the upper end of the lever 0, being fastened to it, is moved back and forth upon its pivot at the same time, and as it moves it operates all five valves at the same time.

The use of these valves is the well-known one of catching the grains as they fall and holding them until the proper time to drop them in the earth.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. The grain-tube b of a corn-planter, provided with a tube, to, in each of its corners and a tube, x, inthe center of one side, whereby the grains of corn are deposited separately and in the form of a square or a triangle, as may be preferred, in combination with the channels s and a pivoted conductor, 2, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination of the channels 3, tubes to .1, and hinged and stationary conductors y z with a means for decreasing the number of grains fed from the hopper, substantially as described.

3. A hopper having its bottom 0 provided with a number of slots, 61, in combination with a rod, f, which extends across them all and serves as a pivot for the cut-offs g, and springs h, substantially as set forth.

4. The tube 1), divided into channels 8, and smaller tubes w, in combination with the valves u, shafts 1:, connecting plate or rod 25, and lever 0, whereby, when the seed-slide is moved back and forth, the valves are all 01)- erated simultaneously, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 7th day of January, 1880.

P. S. LUTZ.

Witnesses:

F. A. LEHMANN, O. J. H. STEIN. 

